Excerpts from Earth Pony Society and Its Future
by Hard Walnut
Summary: Better known as the "Flutterbomber Manifesto"


Note - this edition has been revised by the Equestrian Board of Education for sole publication in Equestrian public school systems. Criminal copyright infringement, including use of this document outside its original intent and/or for non-educational purposes, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by a maximum fine of up to 250,000 bits

INTRODUCTION

1. A society established primarily on the inherent abilities of Earth ponies in industry and agriculture has been a disaster for all other animal races and nature itself. It has greatly advanced the quality of life for those of us living in "developed" pony society, but have wrought destruction previously unimaginable upon nature, having subjected other animal races to unprecedented cruelty, forcing upon them indignities unnacceptable in a society founded on the ideals of the magic of Friendship. The continued encroachment will only worsen the situation. It will inflict great damage on nature as well as all of the pony races, leading to increased, and more universal, suffering across Equestria.

2. This system of agriculture and industry may continue or it may break down. Should it survive, this mixture of two Earth pony-influenced economic bases MAY eventually achieve a low level of physical and psychological suffering amongst both ponies and all other animal races, but only after passing through a long and very painful period of enormous strain on the environment upon which these systems depend. Furthermore, if the system survives, the consequences will be inevitable: There is no magic capable of reforming or modifying the system as to prevent inevitable destruction of nature, and depriving the ponies of their very economic and social basis.

3. If the system breaks down the consequences will still be very painful. But the bigger a destructive system grows on the exploitation of limited resources, the more disastrous the results of a breakdown will be, so if it is to break down it had best break down sooner rather than later.

4. We therefore advocate a revolution against the agro-industrial Earth pony system. This revolution may make use of violence, as we have already proven. It may be sudden or it may be a relatively gradual process spanning a few decades. This is not a POLITICAL revolution but a SOCIAL revolution. Its object is not to overthrow Celestia from her post in Canterlot. Its purpose to restructure society away from an Earth pony-based economic system. Its object will be to overthrow the current destructive tendencies of the current system.

5. In this article we give attention to only some of the negative developments that have grown out of the agro-industrial Earth pony system. Other such developments we mention only briefly or ignore altogether. This does not mean we regard these other developments as unimportant. For practical reasons we have to confine our discussion to areas that have received isufficient public attention or in which we have something new to say.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MODERN CELEFTISM

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7. But what is Celeftism? During the ninth century of Celestia's reign since the fall of Luna, Celeftism could have been identified as supporting a social system based off equality between pony races, with each race providing whatever is necessary to sustain the other two, known as the "magic" of Friendship. As such, each race is tasked with applying its inherent abilities in fields in which they are advantageous. However, this results in an imbalance of power, due to the superior application of Earth pony ability in agriculture and, at the turn of the ninth century, growing industry and manufacturing. These areas of agriculture and industry provide a framework for the economy of Equestria as a whole. The tensions created by this imbalance will be further explored.

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19. The Celeftist is not typically the kind of pony whose feelings of inferiority make her a braggart, an egotist, a bully, a self-promoter, a ruthless competitor. She has a deficit in her sense of power and self-worth, but she is bolstered by the belief in the "magic" of Friendship. The unification of all ponies, though it may in effect reduce the influence and power of some, would at the least make all equal, a comforting thought to a pony of such a mental state. Hence the collectivist and friendly nature of the Celeftist. She is only as strong as the bond of Friendship uniting all ponies, and as such seeks to strengthen that bond.

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21. Compassion and moral principle are the main motives for Celeftist activism. This is where the system begins to have its shortcomings. Hostility exists even amongst the Elements of Harmony, as we have demonstrated, and the pursuit for the "magic" of Friendship will only ever provide tempory relief from strife. Even if this relief does last and remain stable for quite some time, strike and hostility will always return and cause great shifts in social structure. As such, an economic system based mostly on the inherent talents of a single race of pony will inevitabley cause a conflict of interest. Obviously it would be productive to take an agressive stance regarding Earth pony dominance, forcing concessions on the part of the Earth ponies, who are equally caught in the grips of Celeftism and desire the same magic of Friendship, in an attempt to bring equal economic responsibility to all three major pony races. However, Unicorn and Pegasus activists do not take such an approach. To make such enormous demands from their fellow pony race clashes with the Celeftist ideals of Friendship, and as such progress in the system stagnates. To their end, this meekness by the Unicorn and Pegasus Celeftists has done just as much to further the destructive agro-industrial system put in place by the Earth ponies, all for the sake of Friendship, the pursuit of which will cause the economically and socially devastating collapse of this destructive system.

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23. We emphasize that the foregoing does not pretend to be an accurate description of everypony who might be considered a Celeftist. It is only a rough indication of general Celeftist tendencies.

THE POWER PROCESS

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34. Consider the hypothetical case of a mare who can have anything she wants just by wishing for it. Such a mare has power, but she will develop serious psychological problems. At first she will have a lot of fun, but by and by she will become acutely bored and demoralized. History shows, especially in the events leading up to the breaking out of civil war in the northern Gryphon kingdoms, that leuisured monarchies tend to become decadent. This is not true of monarchies struggling to mantain their power. Although all seems tranquil in the Equestrian kingdom, pursuit of the ideals of the magic of Friendship has created numerous great, yet subtle, struggles between the pony races. Willingness to submit by the Unicorns and Pegasi will lead to a great power struggle amongst Earth ponies. Power is not enough. One must have goals toward which to exercise power, and if the subjects submit all too easily, as have done the Unicorns and Pegasi, eventually the race in power, the Earth ponies, will make an attempt to subjugate the least willing race, themselves, in an effort to exert power.

35. Everypony has goals; if nothing else, to obtain the physical necessities of life: food, water and whatever clothing and shelter are made necessary by the climate. But the leisured Earth ponies obtain these things without effort. Hence their need for a practical application of their power. On the other hoof, Unicorns and Pegasi depend on the Earth ponies to supply many of their needs. As such, the two races are required to put forth great amounts of energy toward sustaining the system and creating the illusion of Friendship.

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SOURCES OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

46. We attribute the social and psychological problems of modern society to the fact that society pushes this idea of equality among the races that does not exist. Earth ponies, though unwillingly, find themselves in a position of power, forcing the Unicorns and Pegasi to subconciously submit, believing themselves to be equals in Equestrian society. But this is not the only reason. Before dealing with institution of the power process as a source of social problems we will discuss some other sources.

47. Among the abnormal conditions present in modern agro-industrial society are excessive density of population, isolation of ponies from nature and the break-down of natural small-scale communities.

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49. For early pony society the natural world provided a stable framework and a sense of security. In the modern world it is pony society that now dominates nature. However, pony society still depends on nature as that framework and security, but a society cannot depend on what it has dominated and now has grown beyond.

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INSTITUTION OF THE POWER PROCESS IN EARTH PONY SOCIETY

59. We divide pony drives into three groups: (1) those drives that can be satisfied with minimal effort; (2) those that can be satisfied but only at the cost of serious effort; (3) those that cannot be adequately satisfied no matter how much effort a pony makes. The power process is the process of satisfying the drives in the second group. The more drives there are in the third group, the more there is frustration, anger, defeatism, depression, etc.

60. In modern agro-industrial society natural pony drives tend to be pushed into the first and third groups, and the second group tends to consist of increasingly artificial drives.

61. As previously discussed, Earth ponies now find themselves in a position in which basic physical needs, such as food, water and shelter, are placed in group 1. In contrast, the massive effort now required by the Unicorns and the Pegasi to sustain a social system built upon the magic of Friendship pushes many of these basic requirments in to group 2. The Earth ponies become complacent, oblivious to the struggle of the other two submissive races, and as such seek practical applications of power over one another.

62. A system that places power in the hooves of a single unwilling race, while still creating an illusion of harmony, will result in the institution of the power system. However, this is not necessarily bad. The issue with current Celeftist ideals is primarily total submission by the two weakened races, leading to a power struggle among the Earth ponies in power. Were the Unicorns and Pegasi to recognize the system's instability and move to correct it by encouraging economic competition among all three races exploiting each race's inherent talents, thus further embedding the power system, society could perhaps avoid a devasting social and economic collapse. By shifting many of the Earth ponies' natural need further back to group 2, and many of the needs of the Unicorns and the Pegasi into group 1, balance would be restored as each race strives equally to meet each need.

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HOW SOME PONIES ADJUST

77. Not everypony in agro-industrial society suffers from psychological problems. Some ponies even profess to be quite satisfied with society as it is. We now discuss some of the reasons why ponies differ so greatly in their response to modern society.

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83. Some ponies satisfy their need for power through effort toward the sustaining of the Celeftism ideals of Friendship. An individual Unicorn or Pegasus, with no power alone, feels that by committing their energies toward supporting the very race that towers over them, the Earth ponies, they bring themselves up to be the Earth ponies' equal. When the Earth ponies are just as disillusioned with this view of equality, the individual, although they have done nought but hinder any efforts made at progress, feels (through her identification with Celeftism) as if she had gone through the power system. This phenomenon was exploited by both Princesses in their rise to power over Discord one thousand years ago, in addition to the rise of Vladimare Lenin and Joseph Stallion in the Foalviet Union as a more recent example. But for many ponies, Earth ponies especially, identification with a large organization or a mass movement does not fully satisfy the need for power.

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86. But even if most ponies in an Earth pony-dominated agro-industrial society were well satisfied, we would still be opposed to that form of society, because harmony among all three major races under the banner of so destructive of tendencies would still wreak unimaginable havoc upon the natural world and other animal species, sentient and not, eventually coming to physical and psychological harm to ponies themselves.

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THE FREEDOM OF NATURE

93. We are going to argue that agro-industrial society cannot be reformed in such a way as to prevent it from causing irrepairable damage to the natrual environment on which it has established itself. By "nature" we refer primarily to animal, sentient or no, and plant kind, in addition to preservation of the beauties of nature manifested in inorganic forms. We refer primarily to nature's most literal meaning, its physical forms and products.

94. Equestria is divided. Western Equestria has founded itself in agriculture, while eastern Equestria is economically dependent on industry. These two economic bases have, among other faults, one common issue: each heavily relies on the exploitation of natural resources, and their demands are increasing at an alarming rate. It is not necessary for us to delve into the underlying causes of this disregard for nature, as what must be covered has already been spoken of or will be. What we feel is necessary is for us to outline the destructive consequences of this disregard, for both ponies and all other animal species.

95. We have already demonstrated how the collapse of Equestria's Earth pony-based economic system will wreak havoc upon social structure, and as such we shall not return to that.

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97. Ponies may have put themselves in a position of dominance over nature, but in truth they have no right to stand over nature as its dictator. Celeftists have been led to believe, through thorough indoctrination of the "magic" of Friendship, that what is "best" for ponykind, which in practice is what is best for the Earth ponies, is best for all of nature, and that harmony between pony races will carry across to the natural world. However, nature has seen entire ecosystems and species, some displaying marginal sentience, wiped out at the hooves of Celeftist-indoctrinated agriculturalists and industrialists, who in turn depend on the very systems they are destroying. As such, preservation of the natural world is in the best interest of all three major pony species, not solely the Earth ponies, for the sake of the preservation of their economic and social bases.

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EARTH PONY BIASED SOCIETY CANNOT BE REFORMED

111. Although this statement may seem contrary to previous statements calling for a reform of the Equestrian socio-economic base in Earth pony agriculture and industry, it is no such thing. In previous usage of the term "reform," we have essentially meant the disposal of the entire system, and the building of a new one providing equal benefits and equal consequences for all races. Such universal benefits and consequences are exactly what the current system is lacking, and so long as the economy continues to be dominated by a single race as the other two submit, the power process cannot be instituted as is necessary.

112. With economy and social structure so interdependent in Equestrian society, it would seem impossible for a revolution to see any sort of progress in either area without overthrowing the entire system. We have already shown the flaws with Equestrian social structure, but to this point widespread economic reform may seem unnecessary. Equestria's economy holds much more power than any of the splintered Gryphon kingdoms to the north and the "democratic" Mexicolt to the south. However, an economic system built into social structure with so many underlying flaws must too be thrown out should it stand between the current system and the reform we seek. It may seem as though no potential economic alternative has been presented. However, this document shall later make points to show that economic change will come naturally with social reform.

113. So even on very general grounds it seems highly improbable that any way of changing society could be found that would reconcile social reform with maintaining long-term economic stability. In the next few sections we will give more specific reasons for concluding that social reform and uninterrupted economic prosperity are incompatible.

DESTRUCTION OF NATURE IS UNAVOIDABLE IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY

114. As previously discussed, primarily in paragraphs 49 and 97, pony society has elevated itself above its base in nature, and now attempts to balance itself on a social and economic system dependent on what Earth ponies have shown absolute disregard for. However, by not taking advantage of inherent Unicorn and Pegasus abilities, this system is FORCED to attempt such an impossible balancing act. Agriculture and industry are of equal importance to the Equestrian economy, and yet each is forced to compete with the other for the same resources that they are squandering through their spread. However, to allow sharing of responsibility among all three races, with Unicorns providing powerful magic and Pegasi providing less destructive means of controlling the environment and animals, is not in the Earth ponies' best interest, whether or not they see it this way. Indoctrinated with Celeftist beliefs, Earth ponies are reaping great benefits from the system, though they are not made aware that it has been corrupted in their favor. Earth ponies have no desire to change the system. They do not see that the benefits are not shared equally, and believe that the "magic" of Friendship has brought universal prosperity to Equestria, as a result of this Celeftist indoctrination. This is why the economic system will not see change without great reform in social structure, and as such why social reform is so important to preservation of the environment.

115. The Celeftist doctrine has instilled the widespread belief that what is best for ponies is best for all of nature. The promotion of universal harmony is seen to have nothing but positive effects. In truth, this belief is just as misguided as the belief that universal harmony can exist in the first place. It is not necessary to review the destructive tendencies of these beliefs.

116. At the turn of the ninth century L.B., the world had not yet seen any negative effects of the industrial revolution. However, we now find ourselves, one century later, unable to ignore the revolution's impact. The benefits of the revolution, as well as the drawbacks, have also carried themselves over into Earth pony agriculture.

117. Because of the constant pressure that the system exerts to modify nature in favor of maximum benefit for the three pony races, we begin to see a corrupt view of harmony between us and nature not unlike that between the pony races themselves. Because ponies have reached the position at which they can force nature to bend to their will, under the influence of Celeftism it can easily be made to appear that nature willingly bends in accordance with ponies, and that harmony has been created. This illusion is as easily bought as that of harmony between ponies. Due to this illusion, before serious progress can be made in demonstrating to the "civilized" ponies the errors of their ways, Celeftism must be completely and utterly disposed of.

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A SOCIAL REVOLUTION BECOMES AN ECONOMIC REVOLUTION

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131. The industrial revolution is marked by the use of the first machines in manufacturing. But why is this necessary when there is Unicorn magic to be exploited? This has already been discussed. Earth ponies do not see the need to lower their social and economic status. However, obviously the duty of manufacturing cannot be entirely handed over to the Unicorns. This would place us in the exact same postion we find ourselves in now, only shifting the blame. Why are pesticides and gaping drainage ditches filled with stagnating water and toxins necessary when Pegasus talents with animals and environmental management are available to be exploited? The exact same logic applies.

132. There will be no 'happy medium' in balancing responsibilites. Harmony will not exist. It cannot exist. Only by removing the Celeftist ideals and encourgae Unicorns and Pegasi to use their abilites to undermine the status of Earth ponies will economic stability be brought. Certainly, there may be many days upwards to many years of instability, but in the long run the benefits of a social revolution will carry over into the economy.

GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGING OF CELEFTISM MUST STOP

133. The promotion of Celeftism by the Princesses is sickening irony at its finest. The sisters portray themselves as opposites living in harmony, but everypony in Equestria understands this is not entirely true. Princess Luna's descent and her transformation into Nightmare Moon proves that any semblance of harmony will only be achieved through the recognition of strife and swift and complete efforts to balance the situation. The Earth pony dominated social and economic systems are similar in concept to a hypothetical return of Nightmare Moon, utterly ignored by Equestria as she were to bring total destruction across the kingdom. Although we cannot banish the system to any natrual satellites, we can reap the benefits of swift and complete efforts to bring balance.

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FINAL NOTE

140. Although this document essentially is a sweeping generalization of the finer points of the Celeftist movement as well as broadly defining the Earth pony dominatied socio-economic system, we are reasonably confident that we have correctly portrayed the inherent flaws with these beliefs and systems, as well as having painted a general path in the direction of reform. This document has largely ignored any positive points to have come from these beliefs and systems, but this is not to say they have come without benefits, merely that we believe the negative consequences far outweigh the postive consequences to a point where these beliefs and systems are not sustainable.


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